Jerusalem is such a unique city with a long history and many holy places for several religions. It’s filled with contrasts like: the old vs the new, religious vs secular, daylife vs nightlife, the old city vs the modern city, and all of these contrasts make Jerusalem even more magical.
Every time I visit Jerusalem, I feel like a tourist; every time I discover new places and every time I learn about history facts that I wasn’t aware of.
Since the are so many things to do there, I wrote about the stuff that I love the most. I’m sure that every time I go, I will have more things to add to the list
Things to do in Jerusalem
Lighting show in City Of David
WOW. This is one of the most impressive shows I saw in Israel and in Jerusalem itself. It is just a breathtaking sight and I’m not talking only about the lighting show, but about the City of David too.
When I walked into the fortress, I felt like I returned to a time thousands of years ago. It’s such a spectacular structure; so big and so beautiful
After a few minutes of wandering in the fortress we sat to see the lighting show.
I was amazed with the entire show that tells about the history of Jerusalem. It combines music and video on the fortress itself.
Words can’t describe this experience. You just need to go there and experience it by yourself 🙂
The show is in an open area so it’s recommended to bring warm clothes with you, especially in the cold months.
It’s forbidden to take pictures there (since I went there during a bloggers’ conference, they gave us a special permission to take pictures, so I didn’t break the law.
After the lighting show you can have a tour in the museum.
Tickets price
Adult: lighting show 55 nis, combined tickets to the show and museum are 70 nis
Senior citizen or a student: lighting show 50 nis, combined tickets to the show and museum are 55 nis
Child: lighting show 45 nis, combined tickets to the show and museum are 55 nis
Soldier or handicap: lighting show 30 nis, combined tickets to the show and museum are 40 nis
Lively nightlife in Machane Yehuda Market
During the day the Machane Yehuda Market is a really great market full of stalls and restaurants. You can find fresh ingredients and a great atmosphere there. Once the daily stalls start to close, the bars and the night restaurants start to open.
This market doesn’t rest for a minute.
When you go there at night it’s such a different experience from in the morning. There are many bars. Each bar puts chairs and tables outside, there are musicians and Dj’s and an amazing atmosphere with fun and alcohol.
You don’t have to make an effort in order to go out, you just need to go to the market and pass from one pub to another.
Another great thing that I loved about the night market is that if you suddenly get hungry, then you have several restaurants that are open until late hours. We ate pasta in Pasta Basta after hanging out in the market’s bars. It was nice because I hadn’t had time to eat dinner before going. It was cheap, filling and tasty.
Eat a great breakfast
Jerusalem is a good place to eat a great breakfast. You can go to a nice restaurant or eat in a hotel. Even if you are not staying in a hotel there are some that offer their breakfasts not only to their guests.
We went to the Inbal Hotel, a 5-stars hotel with a design that combines modern and ancient styles. One of the most beautiful hotels I have seen.
From the moment we entered the hotel I felt like I was in a luxury hotel, and what I liked even more was that the breakfast didn’t disappoint us.
A huge variety of good cheeses, smoked fishes, salads, fresh bread and pastries, and much more. They serve you a great coffee. This is the way to start your morning.
Lovely atmosphere, beautiful design, tasty food, and great service.
The breakfast cost 115 nis per person. It’s recommended to call the hotel before arriving because if it’s fully booked maybe they won’t allow non-guest to eat there.
The breakfast is served every day from 06:30-10:30
Assaf Granit’s restaurants
If you are visiting Jerusalem, you must try one of Assaf’s restaurants. He has several restaurants there (I stopped counting how many); he even has branches in London. All of his restaurants are amazing and completely different from one another.
We went to Mona, which is a fancy restaurant. We sat on the bar and had a great evening. The bartender recommended us to dry white wine that fit perfectly with our taste. The crab bisque was so amazing that I still think about it once in a while.
On another time we went to Talbiyah which is more of a restaurant bar. Cool vibes and a great design. We also sat there on the bar and ordered wine and some dishes. The polenta is one of Assaf’s signature dishes and it’s really good.
Machneyuda is his most famous restaurant, I haven’t gone there yet but Roman has. And he said that it has a really happy, loud, Israeli atmosphere. So if you are looking for a unique Israeli experience, this is the restaurant to try.
Tours in Jerusalem
In Jerusalem you can find many types of tours. I really recommend to try at least one of them because it will give you another aspect of the city. I wrote a post about the tours that I tried and liked. To read more about the tours
More posts I wrote on that
Fascinating tours in Jerusalem
Great vacation in Eilat – Things to do
Our favorites restaurants and bars in Eilat
Our favorites restaurants in Tel Aviv
Amazing restaurants in Hacarmel Market
Tel Aviv – Street food of different cultures
Top restaurants in Northern Israel
5 coffee shops you need to visit in South Tel Aviv